How to Change your Mindset.
Your MINDSET is crucial to intentional living. It’s more important than having the perfect job, a great relationship, or even living in the dream location… Your Mindset is like the secret sauce that makes life taste good! In this article, I’m going to unpack WHAT your mindset is, WHY it’s so important, and show you How to Change your Mindset!
I’ll never forget the day I admitted that I wasn’t happy.
I mean; I wasn’t miserable. I had actually just come through a deep depression, and I was just thankful that I wasn’t waking up feeling grey. I wasn’t ungrateful. I wasn’t discontent. But I still wasn’t HAPPY.
And honestly: Admitting that made me feel SO GUILTY. How could I be unhappy? I had everything I ever wanted! I was healing from depression. I was safe. I was loved. I had two beautiful kids, a cozy home, and an awesome hubby.
What could be wrong? But the question I was really scared to ask was:
Was there something wrong with ME?
My hubby (bless him!) was incredible through it all. He would talk with me for hours about everything, he listened, he held me, and we problem-solved. We went to doctors, and got answers for the physical (and mental) health. Healing began. 🙌🏻
And then I began to learn about the most important thing of all:
MINDSET.
Now: “Mindset” might sound like another catchy word that a lot of people are throwing around… But what does it really MEAN? I love a good definition, so here we go:
So, basically, your mindset includes your attitude, & your overall mood. It encompasses your feelings, thoughts and actions. Your mindset is your “state of being.” The actions you do every day come from your mindset. Your mindset is the BACKBONE to how you live your life. Here’s the most important thing you need to know about your mindset:
IT’S. NOT. STUCK.
Your mindset is NOT STUCK! Please hear me: The definition of mindset says “fixed,” NOT STUCK. And there is a HUGE difference between the two. Let me show ya’…
You Can Choose. Do you want to stay stuck in old habits and patterns? Or do you want to secure your mindset on GOOD THINGS? So…
So… How do you Change your Mindset?
In order to change your mindset, you have to change your thoughts. This is where the rubber meets the road…. because it can be really hard to wrap your brain around how your thought process works.
See, a lot of us think our mindset works like this:
I used to think that my mindset worked like this!
For instance: Let’s say I just woke up, and I have a huge to-do-list. I FEEL lazy, or apathetic. Then, I THINK “I don’t want to!” and the ACTION I take is to binge on Netflix all day. That sounds right… doesn’t it?
But it’s not the right order. (So let’s fix it!)
It all starts with your THOUGHTS. 🤯
So here’s what actually happened in that scenario: I woke up with a mile-long to-do-list, and I THOUGHT “I don’t want to!” That thoughts made me FEEL lazy or apathetic, and those feelings caused me to take ACTION — so I binged on Netflix.
Don’t believe me? The next time you take an action, trace your action backwards. Did you get a snack? Before you got up, did you FEEL hungry? And before you felt that hunger… WHAT DID YOU THINK?
Your Thoughts ➢ Your Feelings ➢ Your Actions
For the longest time, I thought my feelings were the starting point… and I bought the lie that those feelings caused a list of actions that were impossible to change. But when I learned HOW my brains works, I realized that my entire framework for living could change.
Your thoughts are incredibly powerful.
This is why the Bible says we should “Take every thought captive.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) If you allow your mindset to get stuck… your actions (and your life) will reflect that.
You can CHOOSE! This is Such. Good. News!!! You can choose to fasten your mindset securely — on good or bad things. Friend, the thoughts you think are SO important. They literally shape the way you live! So…
If you change your thoughts, you can change your mindset. And if you change your Mindset… you can change your life.
Straight up: This is not easy. It’s a daily, (sometimes moment-by-moment!) choice. You have to decide what thoughts to dwell on. You have to stop the negative thoughts, and be ready to replace them with new ones.
I’ll be honest: my battle with mindset isn’t over. (And it probably never will be!) There will always be ups and downs… but that unhappy version of myself? Well, she’s a totally different person now. ☺️
The more you train your brain by CHOOSING your thoughts, the easier it gets. You’ll learn to catch your thoughts faster. You’ll learn how to choose thoughts that change your mindset. And if you try it, I’m willing to bet you’ll change your life.
